1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid developer containing an insulating liquid and toner particles which are dispersed in the insulating liquid and contain a resin and a coloring agent.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, in order to reduce energy consumed during fixation, development of a liquid developer excellent in low-temperature fixability has been promoted. For example, according to Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2012-107229, a liquid developer excellent in low-temperature fixability can be provided when particle size distribution of toner particles contained in the liquid developer is narrow and a shape of the toner particles is uniform.
When a liquid developer excellent in low-temperature fixability is employed, however, molten toner tends to adhere to a fixation roller during fixation. This is called high-temperature offset, in which a liquid developer may offset to such a recording medium as paper when a fixation roller is contaminated. Therefore, in development of a liquid developer excellent in low-temperature fixability, occurrence of high-temperature offset is preferably suppressed while moderate gloss and fixation strength are ensured.
When a liquid developer excellent in low-temperature fixability is employed and when a printed matter obtained by fixing toner particles to a recording medium is stored in a high-temperature condition or a pressurized condition, toner particles tend to be softened and color transfer is likely. This is called document offset. Therefore, in development of a liquid developer excellent in low-temperature fixability, occurrence of document offset is also preferably suppressed while moderate gloss and fixation strength are ensured.